Banana Season
by Vampiricyoshi
Summary: AU. Once-LERxOFC. The Lorax decides he might not be able to convince the Once-Ler to stop cutting down the trees on his own so he leaves briefly to find another human willing to help. It sounded like a good plan.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Lorax: Banana Season- Chapter 1  
Characters: Once-Ler, Pipsqueak, Janna (OC), the Lorax (briefly)  
Rating: G  
Word count: 1,691  
Summary: AU (alternate universe). The Lorax decides he might not be able to convince the Once-Ler to stop cutting down the trees on his own so he leaves briefly to find another human willing to help. It sounded like a good plan.

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_._

* * *

_I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.  
And I'd like to say a few words if you please.  
Regarding the story that you're about to read,  
It actually happened; just take it from me._

_But there's more to this story than what's on the page.  
If you'll give us a moment, while we set the stage._

* * *

Was I crazy? Yes. Yes I was. That doesn't mean I'm stupid, though. I know an opportunity for something awesome when I see one. At least… I _think_ I do.

An orange and yellow furry peanut-shaped creature coming up to me saying he needed my help because I was the first sensible person he found; I think that's a pretty good opportunity of awesomeness. Well, it'll at least be interesting.

I was just coming home from the library when the 'peanut' asked for my help. He was a short fellow – about 1.5-2 feet tall and had a huge yellow mustache that I swear took up half his body-weight (an exaggeration, but still, it was _huge!_) and he introduced himself as the Lorax who speaks for the trees. Not the trees from my city though – just the ones from his home land. I had no idea what he needed help with, but it couldn't have been too big of a deal for such a little guy. I was also a little hung up on exactly _what_ this funny creature was and how he could talk.

I took him home and, with me still wearing the backpack I took to the library, he directed me to my backyard. Once there the Lorax took my hand and – I am not kidding – _picked himself up by the seat of his pants._ I had no idea what was going on but the Lorax was floating and I was hovering off the ground after him. I gripped his hand tighter as soon as my feet left the grass and together we started to float up toward a hole in the clouds, which had mysteriously gathered when the Lorax first showed up. I will forever deny that a girly scream had come out of my mouth.

There was a flash of light when we reached the clouds and then a loud crack, like thunder, and I guess I lost consciousness.

* * *

I woke up, but I didn't open my eyes right away. Instead I tried to judge where I was by what I could feel and hear.

I was lying on something soft with tiny rocks digging into my back. There was also the faint smell of grass, so naturally I figured that I was lying on some grass. I couldn't hear any cars or people or any noises from civilization, so I guess I wasn't near a city. Instead I heard… humming?

My eyes opened and I slowly sat up. I noticed my orange backpack lying next to my feet and the Lorax was nowhere to be seen. Figures. I didn't know the guy very well, but this was definitely a little annoying.

I curled my legs up underneath myself and pulled my backpack closer before looking around for the humming noise that I was hearing. I then caught sight of the trees.

_Oh my goodness, the trees are fluffy!_ No joke, the trees were giant balls of fluff on top of what looked like white aspen tree trunks. The fluff varied between different warm pastel colors like pink, yellow, and orange. They were so pretty and I found myself wanting to climb up to the top just to bury my face in it. But I wasn't a good climber so I had to just settle with admiring them.

Looking around further I learned where the humming appeared to be coming from. There were three orange fish standing (yes, _standing)_ on a rock and they were humming. Well, two of them were humming. One was switching between whistling and making little harmonizing 'ba' and 'na' noises. They were all staring at me with their big eyes and had large grins on their faces, making me smile back at them.

Then with one last beautiful note they all leapt into the nearby pond and swam away happily.

I smiled wider and started to stand up. "That was sweet. Weird… but sweet."

I swung my backpack over my shoulder and started to look around again. The Lorax said that he needed my help, but he didn't specify with _what_. There weren't any obvious indicators about what was troubling him. The sky was blue, there was no smoke or fire, there was birdsong now that the fish had gone away, and the air smelled wonderful. All that I could really see were the trees and a short stump beside the spot where I had landed. Oh.

"'Speaks for the trees'," I repeated to myself. "Right…" I obviously should've questioned things before agreeing to help the little fur-ball.

I stepped over to the stump and leaned down to examine it. It was obviously cut down by an axe and it looked really fresh, so it couldn't have happened too long ago. Maybe about a day or so ago? There was a ring of rocks around it in what appeared to be some sort of shrine-like formation. I didn't know who did it, but it was a nice gesture.

"_Baroo?"_

I jumped at the small squeaky noise, but relaxed when I looked to my side and saw a small brown bear-creature. Again, this thing had big eyes, but it also had a large head and chubby-looking cheeks that were covered in brown fur like the rest of its body, excepting a patch on its chest which was a light tan. It stared up at me in anxious curiosity and made the noise again.

"_Baroo?"_

I smiled at it. "Aw… aren't you just the cutest thing in the world?" I carefully reached my hand out and let the bear sniff it before it grabbed my hand and put it on its furry head. I experimentally rubbed my thumb over a patch of fur, but then I got a little bolder and simply started petting the thing. "What happened here buddy?" I asked gesturing toward the stump. "Did someone cut down this tree?"

It opened its eyes and with a squeak nodded.

"Oh, poor thing," I said softly, grabbing the bear under its arms and pulling in for a hug. "It'll be okay." It grabbed the sleeves of my jacket and adorably nuzzled its head into my shoulder. "I'm gonna find this meanie pants and then I'm gonna punch him in the nose just for –"

I was suddenly startled again though when somebody's voice unexpectedly cut through the peaceful air.

"Whoa, who are you?"

I turned with the bear in my arms and looked at the strange man who had just appeared. I was a little surprised at who I saw. He was a tall man, like, six-foot-five or something, and he was really skinny. He wore some dark grey pants with darker, wide horizontal stripes and had on a white button-up shirt. Over that was a dark grey vest and on top of his black hair was a grey fedora. But despite all the grey that this guy wore, he didn't seem to be the depressed sort. He had really wide, blue eyes that were looking at me in genuine confusion with his slightly pouty lips hung open a little.

I tried to grin at him. "My name is Janna," I told him. "I'm, uh… here to hug a bear."

He was still staring at me, but he seemed to be a little less confused. "Once-Ler," he said, not smiling back.

Now I was confused. "What's a Once-Ler?"

He frowned at me. "It's my name. Once-Ler," he said gesturing to himself. I noticed that his frown made the pout in it more prominent and I thought that it was kind of cute.

I smiled again. "Oh, okay. Sorry." I set the bear I was holding back onto the grass and stood to look at Once-Ler, putting my hands behind my back. The bear made a noise and trotted over to the tall man, jumping a little excitedly.

Once-Ler's face beamed as he reached down to pat the little guy on the head. "Hey, Pipsqueak!" he greeted. "What're you up to? Do you know who this lady is?" The bear simply shook its head and looked at him with a wide smile.

I snorted. "Pipsqueak?" I asked with a grin. "Was that all you could come up with?"

The Once-Ler pouted again. "I think it's a perfectly fine name," he huffed. "But I didn't come up with it. And I don't think you should be picking at other people's names. What kind of name is 'Janna' anyway? It sounds like 'banana'. You don't look like a fruit."

I shrugged. "I'll take that as a compliment then. Thank you."

He now looked stunned, which was kind of funny. "What? I didn't mean that – _arg!_" he finally growled, running a hand over his face. "Okay, fine – your name's Janna. What are you doing here?"

I shrugged again. "Just passing through," I told him. "Thought I'd stop and hug your… bear, Pipsqueak."

"He's not mine," Once-Ler said automatically. "And he's a _Barbaloot_, not a bear."

"And what about you?" I went on. "What is someone like you doing out in the middle of nowhere? What business do you have here yourself?"

"I have plenty of business, thank you!" Once-Ler suddenly grinned. It was a wide grin that I swear took up half of his entire face. "Do you want me to show you?" he asked. His voice sounded like he was trying to hold back a large amount of excitement, and I also thought I heard him squeak with happiness.

I looked at Pipsqueak, but he only returned with a blank gaze in his huge eyes. I sighed and turned back to Once-Ler. "Okay, sure. Why not?"

This time, the Once-Ler _did_ squeal with glee and he lunged forward to grab my wrist before he began to pull me after him through the forest of fluffy trees.

* * *

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**A/N:**

Yes, there are already so many of these floating around, and I'm just adding to the pile. Enjoy!

**Reviews are love for the Once-LER, and anyone who has seen the movie would know that this guy needs as much of it as he can get.**

_See with cover art on DeviantART under VampiricYoshi at .com/art/The-Lorax-Banana-Season-Chapter-1-295908866_**  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Lorax: Banana Season- Chapter 2  
Characters: Once-Ler, Pipsqueak, Janna (OC)  
Rating: G  
Word Count: 2,582  
Summary: AU (alternate universe). The Lorax decides he might not be able to convince the Once-Ler to stop cutting down the trees on his own so he leaves briefly to find another human willing to help. It sounded like a good plan.

* * *

.

* * *

The long-legged man finally stopped dragging me after almost an entire _ten minutes_ of sprinting between trees and rocks, and I nearly collapsed from exhaustion once he had let go of my hand. I stood there, bending over with my hands on my knees and gasping for breath.

"Geez," I wheezed. "How tall are you? It's… It's almost impossible to keep up with you running like that!"

Once-Ler looked totally confused, which annoyed me. "Was I really going so fast?" he asked innocently. "Maybe you just need to learn to keep up."

I groaned and stuck my tongue out at him, to what he simply responded with a grin. My chest felt tight and I started to cough a loudly, which wiped away his smirk.

"Hey, are you okay?" Once-Ler asked, coming back toward me with his hands out in some sort of helpful gesture.

"No—no," I rasped out with a slight shake of my head. "A-asthma…" I dropped my backpack on the ground in front of me and fell to my knees with a heavy sigh. I quickly undid the zipper and started to dig around the insides, looking for something. By now I was gasping and I couldn't breathe.

Once-Ler hardly moved and seemed to just be staring at me anxiously. "Is – is there anything I can do? Um, get you a glass of water or something?"

"Water… lovely," I coughed. At that moment my hand closed around something and I let out a groan of triumph. _"Gah…"_

I pulled the red tube with a nozzle from my bag and held it out in front of me with a pleased laugh. Once-Ler just looked at it and, of course, seemed puzzled. I rolled my eyes a little, but quickly put it to my mouth, pressed the button, and inhaled. I sighed happily.

"So much better…" I murmured, mostly to myself.

Once-Ler was at my side, shaking his head in grief. "Okay, I am _so_ sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't know; I had no idea. I didn't mean to make you… stop breathing right." He held out his hand for me and I took it.

"S'alright, giant man," I told him with a grin as he pulled me up. "Just don't make me do that again."

"Oh, I won't – I promise you that." Once-Ler swept an arm down easily and grabbed my bag up from the grass. "Here, you have this back."

I took it from him. "Thank you." I dropped my inhaler back into my bag and zipped it up again. My throat was still aching, but it was feeling better and getting easier to breathe again.

While I recovered I noticed for the first time that we were standing in front of a small mossy-green building that appeared to be built without affecting any of the forest environment around it. There were stakes hammered in the ground around it holding ropes coming from the building tightly to the grass and an arch over the front door had "The Once-LER" painted on it in gold letters.

"Whoa, is this your house?" I asked Once-Ler.

"Hm? Oh yeah, that's it," he confirmed, puffing his chest out proudly. "Built it myself! It's got everything I need to start my business of Thneed-production."

I coughed once and he looked at me oddly, but I pretended that I didn't notice. "Okay, that's cool," I said with a half-smile. "What's a Thneed?"

Once-Ler laughed and slouched to give me the stink-eye coupled with a smile. "Seriously? It's only the coolest invention ever made, and soon," he stood up and spread his arms out, "the whole _world_ will know about the Thneed! A Thneed is the thing that _everybody_ needs!" He suddenly grabbed my hand. "Here! I'll show you!" And he started to pull me toward the house.

I followed him without protest and soon we were inside. Once-Ler threw me into a swivel chair by a window and ran to the other side of the room toward what I assumed was the kitchen area.

"Here – lemme get you that glass of water first, okay?" he called.

I was distracted by the fact that inside the house I could see animals. Not just one or two, but _lots_ of them. There were more bear creatures like Pipsqueak lying about on shelves and in boxes, but there were also some yellow geese-like birds hanging from the ceiling and orange fish in various containers filled with water. When I came in with Once-Ler multiple pairs of eyes turned and looked at me in awe, making me a little nervous. Being stared at by a bunch of weird animals seems to do that.

The door had been left open and I saw Pipsqueak trot in on all fours before kicking it closed and running toward me. Like a cat he jumped up onto my lap and started to rub his face against my striped shirt, making a weird purring sound. I resigned and started to scratch the little guy's ears, which made him groan and purr even more. I couldn't help grinning at how adorable he was.

I paused when I heard growl coming from the kitchen area. "Really, guys?" Once-Ler asked aloud. "I just _cleaned_ those…"

I watched him scratch his head and sigh as he stared down at the counter where various cups were set up and filled with water, each with an orange fish lounging inside like it were a hot tub. I snorted, trying to cover a laugh, and Once-Ler just glanced at me blankly with a small pout on his lips.

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly to me. "Hold on – just hold on a minute." He started to throw open cupboards frantically and looking through them. "I'm sure I have something around here somewhere…"

He suddenly crowed happily and stood up again with a small, blue plastic cup clutched in his hand. He filled it in the sink and in just a few long strides he was standing in front of me and holding the cup out with an awkward grin on his face. I smiled at him and accepted the water, still petting Pipsqueak on the head.

"Thank you, kind sir," I said sweetly.

Once-Ler seemed to beam at me and nodded. "Hey, no problem," he responded. "_Oh!_ The Thneed! Hold on, I'll be right back."

I smiled as he dashed off again and drank the water slowly, trying to sooth the still-present itch in my throat. I knew that it would take a little time to actually fully recover, but drinking the water felt really good. Pipsqueak was sat upright in my lap and reclined against me, apparently drifting off to sleep.

He jumped with a tiny gasp when Once-Ler quickly came running back, a _really _beat-up black electric guitar in one hand and a pink lump of fabric in the other. We watched him as he skid to a halt in front of us and he slung the guitar strap over his shoulder with a silly grin on his face.

Pipsqueak and I glanced at each and I looked back at Once-Ler with an eyebrow raised. "You're not gonna sing, are you?" I asked.

Once-Ler let out a short laugh. "You bet I am!" he replied happily, punctuating with a (painful) strum on his guitar. "It's an awesome little jingle that's gonna sell my Thneeds like hotcakes!"

"And how fast _do_ hotcakes sell?"

"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out soon!" He strummed the guitar again, but this time it didn't sound so bad. With the pink fabric slung around his neck he began to pluck out a light tune in the strings and Pipsqueak, along with some of the other animals, started to bounce to the music. Once-Ler smirked at me and winked. "Check this out:

_Everybody needs a Thneed;  
A fine thing that all people need.  
Everybody doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo need a Thneed!  
It's a natural!  
It's a must!  
A splendid thing that all people trust!  
Thneeds! Yeah! __"_

Animals started clapping and cheering and Once-Ler just stood there soaking in the praise like a smug sponge. The Barbaloot in my lap giggled happily at the show and I fought the urge to roll my eyes in amusement.

Once-Ler nodded at them with a self-satisfied grin on his face. "Yeah, that's right!" he said. "Awesome! That was awesome, right?"

I puckered my lips in false thought. "Well… no."

The tall man pouted at me. "Oh, you don't know what you're talking about Janna-Banana," he stated defensively. "That jingle _rocked_ and you're just too jealous to admit it!" He stuck his tongue out at me, to which I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, how old are you?" I asked seriously. "That's so childish! And I'll admit, the jingle's catchy, but it's kinda far from 'awesome'. I mean, what _is_ a Thneed anyway?"

"What's a Thneed?" he repeated, his smirk back on his face. "Oh, you're gonna love this."

He took the guitar from his shoulder and almost threw it into the corner; I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from scolding him for the poor treatment of the instrument. I didn't even play an instrument, but I couldn't stand the thought of one getting broken or destroyed.

Once-Ler ignored me and pulled the pink fabric from around his neck. "This, my lady," he started, displaying the thing in front of himself, "is a Thneed!"

I eyed the Thneed skeptically. "What does it do?"

"That's the fantastic part! Check it out; watch and learn, Janna-Banana."

* * *

I have to admit, the Thneed was _indeed_ one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. Once-Ler started to demonstrate so many uses for it that I could barely keep track of them all. Some of the things that he showed were just plain silly, like using a Thneed as a bathing suit, but other things were complete genius, such as the super-absorbent fibers and the fact that it could be water-proof to the wearer at the same time. I was especially entertained when the Thneed's creator turned it into a sweater for his guitar and showed it to me wearing the fuzzy pink fabric.

I asked to see it and Once-Ler positively beamed like no one had ever asked that before. He handed it to me – Pipsqueak had left me by this time in search of something more interesting – and I took the time to marvel at the softness of it. It was softer than anything I had ever felt back home and it felt good against the sensitive pads of my fingers. I noticed that it produced some sort of odor, so I put it to my nose and smelled it. It was the sweetest smell I had ever experienced, and it reminded me of butterflies and warm milk. I couldn't help the sigh that escaped my throat and I decided to pretend it didn't happen.

I returned the Thneed and told Once-Ler just what I thought of it, and he was very pleased to hear it. I could have sworn I heard him squeal like an excited girl.

We spent the day mainly discussing the Thneed further and eventually actually started getting to know each other. Of course when it came to telling about me I skipped over the bit of information where I was kidnapped by a furry orange creature with a mustache because even in a world where fish sing, I didn't think the tall man would believe a word of that adventure.

I learned about Once-Ler's family and how they never supported him in anything he had ever done before, like learning the guitar or taking a sewing class in school. In turn I told him about my own life, living in a boring city where I was just another person on the street and how I usually liked it that way. We seemed like opposites, him craving attention and me preferring invisibility, but surprisingly we got along just fine.

I noticed that the sun was setting and I groaned when realization dawned on me; I had nowhere to stay. I had a perfectly fine house in the city I lived in, but then the orange fur-ball had to come and drop me in the middle of a forest without a tent; a considerably _nice_ forest, but still a forest.

Once-Ler saw this and looked at me curiously. "Hey, what's up?"

"Huh?" I glanced at him. "Oh, oh – nothing. It's just…" I vaguely gestured toward the window. "It's just getting late."

The man I was facing frowned. "Do you have to go home now?"

"Uh, it's a little too late for that," I said, thinking quickly. "I live quite a ways away, actually. Is there a town nearby? Maybe I can crash at a hotel or something."

"Town's at least an hour away by foot," Once-Ler told me. "By then it'd be way too dark to see anything. What did you say you were doing out here again?"

"Uh…" I was having trouble coming up with an explanation; or at least a credible one. I still didn't think he would believe the furry peanut piece. "Um… Research!" I blurted suddenly. "Yeah, I came here to watch the Barbaloots and stuff and write a paper for school. It's for… Wildlife Behavior class (or something)."

Once-Ler blinked. "Oh… that's cool. Yeah, Barbaloots are pretty cool. So are the Humming Fish and Swamee Swans, actually. And the Truffula Trees. Are you going to put them in your paper too?"

I looked toward the window again. "Sure, why not?" I said.

"Where are you going to stay?"

I sighed and turned to meet the man's outrageously blue eyes. "I don't know, honestly," I told him. "And here I thought that things were so well planned out."

Once-Ler blinked. "So… nowhere?"

I frowned. "Why do you care so much, Mr. Once-Ler?"

The man shrugged and leaned back in his seat, obviously trying really hard to be cool. "Oh, no reason," he stated calmly. "Just, y'know… if you want to, you can… stay here, or whatever."

I tried not to smirk. "Why?"

He looked at me blankly. "Because… we're friends?" He gave a sheepish grin, showing just how nervous he really was for making the suggestion.

I thought about it. Does spending one afternoon with someone and getting along with them constitute as a friendship? And another thing; did the Lorax _know_ this would happen? I mean, sending someone someplace else without providing shelter was kind of a rude thing to do (though sending them _anywhere_ when they had no idea what they were getting into was probably also rude). I wondered if he had somehow planned for this to occur… and why.

To Once-Ler, I finally gave a shrug. "Sure, why not?"

He looked surprised. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. Like you said I've got nowhere else to go right now. I'm sorry that it's kind of sudden though…"

"No! It's fine!" my _friend_ exclaimed, leaping up from his chair. He laughed. "Really, it's no big deal! We've both got a reason to be out here – me for the Thneeds and you for that paper thing – so it's probably, like, a really good idea to just… band together and help each other out here. Right?"

I smiled at him. "Right," I said and I stood up. I held my hand out toward him politely. "Well mister, looks like you've got yourself a room-mate."

He returned the smile and we shook hands.

* * *

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**A/N:**

I've only seen the movie twice, so forgive me if I got something wrong. I didn't mean it. ^^;

First time I've ever written an asthmatic. My friends said I did well, so I think it's okay so far.

The relationship between Janna and the Once-LER's basically gonna be sort of a brother-sister thing at first. teasing each other, laughing at the other's expense, and the like.

Enjoy! I have Chapter 3 ready for next week. :)

P.S.- Gonna bump up the rating just a tad for the next chapter. I just want to be safe.

**Comments are love for the Once-LER, and anyone who has seen the movie would know that this guy needs as much of it as he can get.**

**_The Lorax_ (c) Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios  
Cover art, writing, and any OCs (c) me - don't steal them please.**

_See with cover art on DeviantART under VampiricYoshi at .com/art/The-Lorax-Banana-Season-Chapter-2-297474672_


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Lorax: Banana Season- Chapter 3  
Characters: Once-Ler, Janna (OC)  
Rating: PGish, I suppose now  
Word Count: 1,764  
Summary: AU (alternate universe). The Lorax decides he might not be able to convince the Once-Ler to stop cutting down the trees on his own so he leaves briefly to find another human willing to help. It sounded like a good plan.

* * *

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* * *

"What're we going to do?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Dude, it's _your house_. What do you have here?"

"One bed, no couch."

I sighed. "Okay… blankets? Pillows? Extra linens?"

"Nope." The man looked ridiculously calm with his arms folded and a hand at his chin in thought. I wanted to whack him.

I groaned a little. "Okay then… I suppose I'm going to town and picking some things up." _As long as my debit card works, that is. If the Lorax over-looked this, I might just shave him._

"You can't do that now!" Once-Ler protested suddenly with a deep frown. "It's too dark out!"

I slapped my palm to my face. "I know that – I meant _tomorrow!_ Sheesh! Do you try hard to be this stupid?"

He smirked. "Well, I'm not so stupid to come out into the middle of the forest without so much as a sleeping bag," he said smugly.

I huffed at him. As much as I hated to admit it (even to myself) he had a point. This was apparently what happened when you decide to follow furry orange mustache people.

Once-Ler dropped his hand into the arm fold and rocked on his heels a bit. "So… how are the sleeping arrangements going to work out for us, then?"

"For _me_ you mean." I sighed and crossed my own arms. "I guess I'll sleep on the floor somehow. Use my backpack for a pillow..." I grinned a little. "…And snuggle up to a Barbaloot for warmth."

My friend snorted. "You don't have to do that, you know. We're friends; we can share a bed."

"Yeah, if you want to be awkward and creepy."

Once-Ler pouted. "It's only awkward when you're a teenager. And it's only creepy if one of us is really old."

I started laughing at him, and it was a little difficult to stop. "You have some strange reasoning, Once-Ler," I told him.

"I have perfectly sound reasoning, thank you," the tall man declared sternly. He suddenly clapped his hands together and looked around the house at all the animals as they had never bothered to leave after napping. "Right! Who's hungry? It's way past dinnertime, and I'm _starving!_"

* * *

Pancakes were what was for dinner. I wasn't usually a pancake fan, but I wasn't going to complain because I was really hungry after not having anything since the library almost five hours ago – they don't let you eat there, but I managed to sneak in a bag of chips to munch on without being caught.

To be honest, Once-Ler's pancakes started to make me rethink the idea of them not being my favorite food. I initially laughed when he donned his frilly pink apron – earning a glare from the man – but when he started to actually work around the kitchen I found myself amazed that he seemed to know what he was doing. He put the plate in front of me with syrup and butter and gave me a fork, a knowing smirk on his face. The first bite was absolute heaven… so was the second bite and any other bite that came after that. I wished that my stomach had been bigger so that I didn't have to stop after having thirds.

Once-Ler even gave some pancakes to the animals that had stayed as well. They all seemed to have the same sentiments as I did about Once-Ler's food; especially one particularly fat Barbaloot.

Through our late dinner I caught the tall man looking out a nearby window more than once, as if he was looking for something. I brought it up, but he shook his head and said it didn't matter. After that he shoved a piece of pancake in his mouth and asked me if I wanted another serving.

* * *

When bedtime rolled around Once-Ler dug in his dresser and found a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a large grey T-shirt for me to wear for bed. It felt a little awkward wearing someone else's clothes; I was _definitely_ going to buy myself a pair of PJs (among other things) when I went to town. Once-Ler and I changed into our sleep-wear – each of us stepping outside of the cabin while the other changed, with me dressing into the shirt and pants and then Once-Ler dressing in a matching set of blue pajamas with yellow bunnies printed on them.

When I saw them I folded an arm over my chest and put a hand on my cheek. "Oh, how adorable!" I cooed teasingly. "Somebody really seems to like bunny-wunnies, don't they?"

Once-Ler just scowled at me. "Are you going to laugh at _everything_ I wear?" he asked.

I smiled innocently. "I'm not laughing."

"Oh, yes you are," he countered, beginning to stalk towards me. "I can hear it; it's just bubbling up inside you, ready to burst out like a geyser and you won't realize it's even come out before it's too late."

I giggled a little, but tried to hide it. "Lovely poetry, but you've got it wrong, mister! I'm not laughing!"

He continued to advance toward me. "Oh, I think I can hear _something,"_ he simpered, his grin so wide that it showed his teeth. "Here – let me show you."

I couldn't stop him when his long arms shot out toward me and his fingers started to ruthlessly dig and wriggle into my sides. I squealed and tried to squirm away, but I was quickly backed up against the front door with a loud _**BANG**__!_ and the tickle attack simply continued. I was soon cackling like a hyena and begging for mercy whenever I could.

"One—_AH!_ _Once-Ler!_ P-please! St—_HEE!_ Stop! I- I can't take it! _Hoo, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_" I was dying, and I couldn't do anything about it. I was torn between covering my sides and just reaching out to shove the tall man away. "Please! Stop!"

The Once-Ler let out a yelp and suddenly backed away. I was confused for a moment but then I saw that a Swamee Swan had come up to him and was wiggling a feather at his stomach, managing to tickle him through his bunny pajamas. I smiled when a couple Barbaloots joined in on the assault, one grabbing onto his leg and the other hopping from a nearby chair up onto his shoulders.

"Hey, whoa!" he cried, giggling. "Guys, stop it! _Hee, hee, hee!"_

"_HA!_" I crowed at him. "Not so fun now, is it?"

"Janna!" Once-Ler gasped. "Help me! P-Please! _Ha-ha-ha-ha!"_

I stood up straight and folded my arms, giving the man a smug grin. "Why should I? I think this is that strange thing that people call 'karma', and it's in _my_ favor!" I laughed at him as he continued to struggle against all the animals that had decided to include themselves in the fun; there was even a Humming Fish crawling around underneath Once-Ler's shirt with him completely helpless to stop it.

My throat was starting to hurt again from laughing so much and I finally decided to give my friend some mercy. "Okay, come on guys," I said, clapping my hands. "He's had enough. Let him go."

I was surprised when the animals actually listened to me and immediately dispersed, spreading out about the small house. Some of them let out disappointed "Aw…" sounds but I just smiled at them. Once-Ler himself was left sitting on his rump on the floor with the Humming Fish still trying to escape the confines of his pajama top. Soon enough though the creature was able to squirm out from Once-Ler's neck collar and it plopped down onto the floor. The Fish jumped up, brushed itself off, and quickly trotted toward the sink area where various dishes still sat filled with water.

With a smile I walked over and crouched in front of the Once-Ler, folding my arms over my knees. "Hey," I said.

He looked at me with a pout. "You're not nice," he told me.

I laughed. "Thank you very much. Here…" I grabbed his hands and stood up, pulling him back to his feet with me. I slowly let go of him, realizing suddenly that I didn't want to, and softly pat his chest. "Whelp," I said, turning around, "time for bed! I've gotta go to the store tomorrow and stuff!"

"Okay, cool," Once-Ler chimed behind me. He suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and started to guide me toward the bed in his small house. "I'm going to town to try selling my Thneed, so you can come with. Sound good?"

I nodded with a tiny "Hm" sound, hoping that he didn't notice how his proximity was affecting me.

He let me go and gestured me to get in on the right side of his bed. Together we pulled back the covers and the Once-Ler started to climb in. It was a small bed, but it would fit us both if we lay on our sides back-to-back. Apparently my new room-mate had the same idea because he grinned at me and turned on his right side, pulling his corner of the cover up around his shoulder. Quietly I got in and lay on my left side, facing the wall.

When I was comfortable Once-Ler reached over and clicked off the nearby lamp that was giving out light. "Goodnight, Janna," he said, shifting a little behind me.

"'Night, Once," I replied quietly.

Once-Ler was soon still and I could hear him snoring softly, which I found really pleasing to hear.

I wanted to forever deny the funny tingling feeling that I was getting in my arms and legs. Once-Ler _was_ attractive, yes, but I couldn't think about him like that. We were room-mates now. Granted, I had no idea of how long I was actually staying, but that's what we were for the time-being. Being attracted to someone you live with… well, it could get really messy. I've only had one crush before, and when I was shut down after my confession I was glad that I didn't have to see him on a daily basis. Just _thinking_ of him made me hurt all over.

The idea of something like that happening between me and Once-Ler was something I really wanted to avoid. I wouldn't be able to stand the pain I would feel so I decided that I would avoid the situation altogether. It wasn't too complicated of a plan: just don't encourage the thought "Once-Ler looks good" and I should be just fine.

With that pact in mind, I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

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**A/N: **

Oh my _gosh_ it's so fluffy it hurts. This was just... I don't know. I keep wondering why I wrote it this way.

This crush bit is based on the real-life story of a high school crush I had. I _did_ get shut down. It hurt... a lot. Over it, but I haven't spoken to the guy since. It did get a tad messy...

**Reviews are love for the Once-LER, and anyone who has seen the movie would know that this guy needs as much of it as he can get.**

_See with cover art on DeviantART under VampiricYoshi at .com/art/The-Lorax-Banana-Season-Chapter-3-298788506_


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Lorax: Banana Season- Chapter 4  
Characters: Once-Ler, Janna (OC), Melvin  
Rating: PG  
Word Count: 1,516  
Summary: AU (alternate universe). The Lorax decides he might not be able to convince the Once-Ler to stop cutting down the trees on his own so he leaves briefly to find another human willing to help. It sounded like a good plan.

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The bags I was carrying were quickly getting heavier and heavier as I went from store to store, buying the things that I needed for life in the Truffula forest. But with each store I felt happy that I was actually able to use my debit card in a strange world. Maybe the account existed _somewhere_, or maybe the information was so legit that it fooled banking computers. Whatever the reason, I was just happy I could actually pay for the things I wanted.

The town was beautiful and the people seemed nice; nicer than the city I lived in at least. There were people willing to give me directions to the stores I needed to go to, and some even asked if they could help carry my things. I politely declined them though.

I finally came out of the sportsman's warehouse store (no hunting apparel, which was weird – just camping gear and the like) dragging behind a box of a foldable cot with a thin mattress; military-style cot, you know. I had already bought myself a pillow and a sheets/comforter set, pajamas and some other clothes, a couple notebooks and some pens (for that 'paper' that I told Once-Ler that I was supposed to be writing), and groceries.

I got groceries because even though Once-Ler's pancakes were good, we couldn't just eat those all the time. The only other food in the house that I had found was marshmallows, and I decided that would not do for a couple kids like us living on our own; so I got us some other foods, like vegetables and eggs, which would actually be better for our diet. I knew some basics of cooking, not having a room-mate before coming to the Truffula Forest, so even if the Once-Ler didn't know what to do with the ingredients I could at least whip up something that was edible.

But anyway, remember how I said that the people seemed nice? Well… they apparently _weren't_.

Done with all my shopping I decided to go and find the Once-Ler so that we could go home; it was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to be back at the house before nightfall. I found the tall, lanky man on the white pavilion at the center of town; right where he said he would be. There was a crowd of people gathered and I actually thought they were there for his corny song. But that idea was quickly smashed to pieces when I caught sight of the Once-Ler.

He stood in the pavilion with his guitar in hand and the Thneed still wrapped around his neck. I say "stood", but it was more like he was cowering behind his guitar. I could hear that he was still singing, but his voice sounded slightly shaky and he was quickly cut off when a red tomato was suddenly flung from the crowd, adding to the ones already dripping from his once-white shirt.

And Melvin, Once-Ler's mule, was standing to the side of the pavilion glaring at the crowd while this was all going on. His ears and head were down and I thought that he might've wanted to try and charge at the people lobbing tomatoes, had he not been tied up. I really couldn't blame him.

"Um… _The Thneed is good… The Thneed is Great –_ oh gosh!" Once-Ler brought his arm up to cover his face just as another tomato came whizzing toward him, bursting on his pointy elbow like a water balloon.

I dragged my stuff along and set them down by Melvin, who perked his ears when I came near.

"Not doing well, is he?" I asked the mule, looking over to Once-Ler.

Melvin snorted and shook his head, also looking to his master. We watched as a little girl threw a tomato half the size of her head at the Once-Ler and I cringed along with him when the fruit exploded on his guitar, strings quickly tangled with red shredded skin that dripped wetly.

"I think it's time to go," I said to Melvin quietly, beginning to secure my newly-bought items to his back. The mule actually nodded in agreement and stood still while I worked, eyes trained on the Once-Ler who was now a red sopping mess.

It still astounded me that Melvin seemed to understand human speech and responded accordingly. A lot of the animals did, actually. I wondered a bit why that was, but I doubted that I would ever get an answer.

When I was done tying everything down on Melvin's back, wheezing a little bit, I gave the rig an experimental tug to assure that it was secured properly.

"Feel okay, Mel?" I asked.

Melvin whinnied and nodded softly. I smiled and patted his neck.

"I'll go and get Once and we can go," I told him. "Wait here."

I wormed my way through the crowd of people surrounding the pavilion and was shortly standing in the front in Once-Ler's line of sight. I noticed that I was breathing a little heavily, but I ignored it in favor of catching the Once-Ler's attention.

"Once!" I tried to call, but was cut off when the elbow of a man bumped me as he prepared to throw more fruit at my friend. I snarled at him and grabbed his wrist, quickly plucking the fruit from his hand and blindly tossing it behind me into the crowd of people. The man didn't say anything but gave me a strange look like I was crazy. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Once-Ler.

"Once!" I called, waving my arm over my head.

He saw me this time and blinked at me like a lost puppy. Even with all that tomato juice on his face, I thought that the expression was cute.

No, no, _NO!_ Shut up, brain!

I pointed over the crowd toward Melvin. "Let's go," I told him, though I wasn't sure that he heard over the noise of the people around us. But he at least understood and nodded at me, telling me so.

The tall man focused on the multitude with an awkward half-grin.

"W-well, guys, I'm going home now!" he announced. There was a disappointed "Aw" sound coming from many of the people around me, causing a little fire of rage to flare in my stomach. "But seriously, you've been a _great_ audience and I hope we can do this again sometime!"

I fought down the urge to put my palm to my face and instead tried to figure out the quickest way back to Melvin. I was glad that Once-Ler was walking down from the pavilion finally and when he was within reach I quickly grabbed one of his red – and now slightly sticky – hands and started to drag him away.

"Buy a Thneed!" he yelled out over the crowd. "It's only $3.95!"

I wanted to tell him that his pitch wasn't working – at least for today – but I stayed quiet and continued through the mass of people as hastily as possible, the Once-Ler in tow.

We quickly reached Melvin, which soon became easy as the crowd had already started to disperse, and I tried untying the mule's lead rope from a nearby post with one hand. Before long I realized that I needed two hands to do that. I also realized that I hadn't let go of the Once-Ler's hand, so I abruptly snapped my hand away and worked at Melvin's lead again, hoping that the tall man didn't notice.

I growled lowly in frustration, prying at the knot. "Why does Melvin need to be tied up?" I asked the Once-Ler, wheezing quietly. "He's smart and should know he needs to stay put."

"He gets bored," Once-Ler said simply. "He doesn't like standing in one spot and will wander off after a while of just standing around."

I looked and saw that the mule appeared to be glaring at his master, not liking the revelation of his fault apparently.

I coughed, but quickly recovered with a smirk. "I don't think it's simply being bored, Once," I told him. "I'll bet he actually gets bored of _you_. I mean, who wants to stand around listening to you murder your guitar?"

Now it was Once-Ler's turn to glare. "You said you liked my playing yesterday!" he said/whined loudly.

I laughed, rolling Melvin's rope up in one hand so there wasn't drag while I led him. "Once, I'm _teasing_ you!" I told him. "You really are great at the guitar. You really need to –" I was cut off by the sudden urge to cough and I had no choice but to comply, coughing about a half-dozen times.

Once-Ler frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked me.

I pat my chest and nodded, getting my breath back. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, a little too raspy for my taste. I cleared my throat. "_Ahem!_ Come on, then! Let's get back to the house, okay?"

Once-Ler and Melvin both bobbed their heads in agreement. Once-Ler took the lead from my hands and we began the trek home.

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**A/N:**

I feel like I rushed in editing this one, so if you spot any typos don't hesitate to tell me.

I don't know when I'll have Chapter 5 ready. I've had a million other things going on and I might end up rewriting or completely scrapping what I have so far and starting again. Who knows.

**Reviews are love for the Once-LER, and anyone who has seen the movie would know that this guy needs as much of it as he can get.**

**_The Lorax_ (c) Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios  
Cover art, writing, and any OCs (c) me - don't steal them please.**

****_See with cover art at http:/ vampiricyoshi. deviantart. com/art/The-Lorax-Banana-Season-Chapter-4-304332653 _


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